Year Two
Already completed Year One of Spiritual Direction? Join us for an immersive Year Two experience.
As a spiritual director, I see myself as a companion to people on their journeys. As a companion, I accompany others who become more fully who they have been created to be, sinking their roots deep into the living waters of God’s grace and bearing fruit in the world. — Susan S. Phillips, Candlelight: Illuminating the Art of Spiritual Direction
Fall 2025 - Spring 2026 Year Two Cohort
The cost of this experience in formation and training is $2,950. Payment in full is due before Module One. Payment plans are available upon request and must be approved by the Director of the Institute for Christian Spirituality.
This price covers your training as well as breakfast and lunch during each of the modules. You will be responsible for the cost of your travel, lodging, books, and any other meals.
The deadline to apply for our fall cohorts is June 30, 2025. All applications received after this deadline are automatically archived and a new application is required to be considered for the following year.
If you have any questions about our spiritual direction cohorts or anything pertaining to the Institute for Christian Spirituality, please email us at ics [at] lipscomb.edu (ics[at]lipscomb[dot]edu).
Year Two Cohorts
2025- 2026 Dates, Locations & Facilitators
This year, we will be offering two Year Two cohorts in the greater Nashville area. These cohorts will be overseen by Dr. Kris Miller, the Director of the Institute for Christian Spirituality. Choose whichever dates work best for you.
Nashville, TN
Deborah Jackson
Deborah is a spiritual director in the Nashville, TN area. Her formation includes training through Lipscomb University’s Institute of Christian Spirituality 2-year training program and serving an apprenticeship as a spiritual direction cohort facilitator with four cohorts in the Lipscomb program. The Ignatian Spirituality training included in Year 2 of the Lipscomb program led her to take an additional year of training through the School of Ignatian Spirituality program of Sustainable Faith to be certified to lead others through the Ignatian Exercises. In addition to offering spiritual direction, Deborah is the Operations Pastor of Christ is Love Church in Hendersonville, TN. She holds an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from Nova Southeastern University; her undergrad work was done at Southwestern Assemblies of God University.
Dates:
- August 22-23, 2025
October 10-11, 2025
November 21-22, 2025
January 9-10, 2026
March 13-14, 2026
May 1-2, 2026
Nashville, TN
Lance Bolay
Lance and his family live in Tyler, TX, where, after serving in pastoral ministry for 20 years, he is now the Director of Mission Impact for the Mosaic Counseling Centers of East Texas. His formation includes two years of formal training in spiritual direction and an apprenticeship as a spiritual direction cohort facilitator through the Institute for Christian Spirituality (ICS) at Lipscomb University. He also received formal training in leading contemplative prayer groups and retreats from the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. He is a certified Enneagram Spectrum Method teacher and experienced in inner healing prayer and Ignatian spiritual formation. He completed his Doctor of Ministry degree in Missional and Spiritual Formation from Lipscomb University. Lance has been offering spiritual direction since 2010 and facilitating cohorts for ICS since 2018.
Dates:
- Sept 5-6, 2025
Oct 24-25, 2025
Dec 12-13, 2025
Jan 30-31, 2026
March 13-14, 2026
May 1-2, 2026
Kris Miller
Kris joined the faculty of the College of Bible and Ministry in 2015, serving as assistant professor of Christian theology and spirituality. He is also the director of Lipscomb’s Institute for Christian Spirituality. He has over 30 years of ministry experience as a pastor, professor, and administrator. He has been a spiritual director since 2006 and has been training other spiritual directors since 2010. Before joining Lipscomb’s faculty, he taught systematic theology for Fuller Theological Seminary’s regional campuses. Kris holds a B.A. in biblical studies, a M.Div., and a M.A. in history and theology from Abilene Christian University, and a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Durham University (U.K.) In addition to teaching spiritual direction, he currently teaches courses on human flourishing, spiritual formation, and the history of Christian spirituality. He freely draws from the breadth of 2,000-year-old Christian tradition--Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant--as he joyfully pursues his calling: flourishing in union with the Triune God and helping others do the same.